New HSE website aims to demystify HS requirements

HSE will launch a new health surveillance website on 14 March 2013 to coincide with an occupational disease conference at the British Library, London on Thursday 14th March 2013.

The new website will replace the hard-copy only Health surveillance at workand “act as a portal to related parts of HSE’s overall website”.

Significant burden of occupational ill health

The aim is to ‘demystify’ the existing health surveillance requirements against the background of a significant burden of occupational ill health.

Key messages include:

Early detection – health surveillance leads to early detection of disease and should protect people;

Risk assessment – health surveillance is only necessary if there is still a likelihood of people being harmed or made ill by their work even if all the control measures and precautions are in place. The general risk assessment process should identify if this is the case and, where health surveillance is needed, it should be used as part of the risk assessment and control cycle; and

Targeting resources – currently “too many workers are having health surveillance unnecessarily and only a small fraction of those who actually need it are getting it”. Health surveillance should not be confused with well-being etc.

The new generic guidance is designed to help employers with the core principles of health surveillance and will link to more specific hazard based guidance.